12 Songs About Loneliness (Plus a Few to Cheer You Up)

If the reason that you just clicked on an article entitled ‘Songs about Loneliness’ is because you’re currently sitting on your laptop or phone with tear stained cheeks, a quivering bottom lip, and are surrounded by empty 2 litre tubs of Häagen-Dazs, it’s probably safe to assume you’re seeking a cure for those heart-nibbling lonely pangs.

If you’re seeking respite, you’ve come to the right place (not least because EliteSingles is a dating website – but we’ll come to that later). Feast your eyes on this sparkling gem of a quote by writer and poet Maya Angelou:

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”

She has a point: the right song can turn the most dour of days inside out. So, because we all go through rough times and we all get lonely, EliteSingles have assembled the following playlist of songs about loneliness, just for you. However, rather than present you with a playlist of mopey 85 bpm tracks to drag your mood down lower, we’ve decided to take your hand and whisk you away on a sonic journey, not dissimilar to the music video for A-Ha’s Take On Me. We’re going to start at the bottom, in the pits of despair, and together we shall ascend until those lonely feelings are but a thing of the past.

Ready?

Here’s our latest Spotify® playlist: Songs about Loneliness!

All By Myself by Eric Carmen

We’re in at the deep end here. Turn your speakers to eleven, sit in the window with your knees hugged to your chest, and gently run your fingers over the glass as the rain pours beyond. This is as lonely as it gets. You are literally Bridget Jones.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

Morrissey is surely the saddest man on earth. It was difficult to choose only one Smiths song for this playlist; it could easily have been titled ’The 25 Best Smiths Songs About Loneliness’. However, PPPLMGWIW takes the crown for sheer unapologetic woe.

With or Without You by U2

Play this song through your headphones as you walk, eyes down, hands in pockets through a bustling city street, surrounded by people but seeing no one, just craving that one connection, missing that special person, longing coursing through your veins, your heart crying out for the love that you lost, wondering if you will ever be loved again. Isn’t music great!?

Stay With Me by Sam Smith

Sam Smith’s emotive crooning could coax salty tears from the ducts of the most granite-hearted ruffian. Behold, and wallow in the sweet misery of his music. This is an excellent song to listen to as you stare at the kitchen floor and cradle a mug of rapidly-cooling coffee.

Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles

Listen to those dark violins, those morose cellos; listen to the tragic E minor harmonies and the unbearably depressing lyrics. All the lonely people. That’s you, right now. You are one of the lonely people; there’s no escaping it. Revel in the Fab Four’s deliciously mournful nectar.

Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley

If anything can cajole you from the cave of your misery, let it be this: if Elvis can get lonely, anyone can. If you’re currently dwelling in the crowded hotel down at the end of Lonely Street, console yourself with the fact that you might bump into the King at the breakfast buffet.

Lonely Avenue by Ray Charles

We’re doing it: little by little, we’re making our way upstream, wading against the current of sadness. Ray Charles may still be down in the dumps in this soulful, lurching blues number, but really, in all the songs about loneliness that abound, has suffering ever sounded so cool?

Dancing On My Own by Robyn

Is there any emotion in the human spectrum that hasn’t been experienced a million times before? Perhaps not. We can all seek comfort in that notion, wrapped in the warm blanket that is the knowledge that everybody has experienced the same pain we are going through. Hey – what’s that odd feeling? Is it just us, or are things starting to feel a little bit… uplifting?

Tears Dry On Their Own by Amy Winehouse

Yes the song is about heartbreak, but doesn’t something in the way it’s sung just light a little fire in your soul? Even in her lowest times, Amy manages to find something to cling to in this soulful, summery little number. As we sift through these heart wrenching songs about loneliness, slowly but surely, those grey clouds are parting.

Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol

Robyn is dancing on her own and Billy Idol is dancing with himself; if only someone had thought to introduce them. Well, in nine songs we’ve managed to wrestle ourselves off of the burning tyre heap of misery and are currently tap dancing our way down the street. Who’d have thought it – things are looking brighter. Maybe… everything will be okay?

Here I Go Again by Whitesnake

Remember way back 5 minutes ago when it seemed like the world was ending and unceasing loneliness was an inevitability? Doesn’t it seem like a distant memory? All of a sudden, it’s hard to recall ever having felt lonely at all. Whitesnake are here to explode your worries away using the healing power of hair metal. Dust off your leather trousers, douse your barnet in 3 full cans of hairspray, then shrill this anthem into your imaginary microphone.

Alternatively: stand by a deserted motorway and stare out at the beckoning horizon as the sun sets, then raise one solemn yet defiant fist in the air and stride meaningfully into the distance like John Bender at the end of The Breakfast Club.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston

And thus we arrive at the crescendo of our sonic journey, with Whitney here to bring it home. The time for wallowing in the sweet melancholy of comforting songs about loneliness has passed, and self pity has gone out of style quicker than a Primark Christmas jumper. It’s time to own your loneliness. In fact, it now seems clear that these aren’t songs about loneliness anymore; these are songs about independence, and they are about freedom.

It is ironic that often, the people who enjoy the very best relationships are the ones who feel the most comfortable in their own company. It seems Robyn, Billy and Whitney had it right: you’ve got to learn to dance by yourself before you can dance with a partner.

And once you’re back on your feet, feeling fresh and ready to take on the world? Join EliteSingles of course! You may even find special someone that shares your undying passion for vintage Whitesnake records.

About the author: Dan Hackett

Dan is an editor for EliteSingles.

See more articles written by Dan Hackett